After a perfect 4-0 start to the season, the nationally ranked No. 7 women's lacrosse team suffered a 15-13 upset at the hands of the unranked visiting Williams Ephs.
The Jumbos had just returned from a successful spring break trip to West Palm Beach, Fla., where they defeated Babson for their fourth win of the season, which marked their best start since going 6-0 to kick off the 2006 season. But the strain of travel and four games with minimal rest finally took its toll on the Jumbos.
"We were pretty tired, and we played a little sloppy," junior Emily Johnson said.
"Fatigue played a part, but it is not an excuse," sophomore leading scorer Amanda Roberts added.
The Jumbos jumped out to a 4-1 lead by midway through the first half, including two goals from Johnson and a single goal from Roberts, but Williams pushed back, capitalizing on two free-position shots to draw within one goal. The trend would continue throughout the contest, as the Ephs cashed in on six free-position shots on the game, taking advantage of Jumbo penalties.
And despite Tufts' 6-4 lead with 4:50 left in the first half, the Ephs closed the period with four unanswered goals to take an 8-6 lead into the second period. Williams freshman Margie Fulton contributed three goals to the team's first-period effort and finished with a team-high five goals for the Ephs.
The Jumbos appeared rejuvenated after halftime, outscoring the Ephs 5-2 over the first 16 minutes, but Tufts could never manage to build more than a one-goal lead. Staring at an 11-10 deficit, the Ephs then surged again with another four-goal streak, putting the Jumbos into a hole that they couldn't climb out of.
Penalties proved a big problem for the squad, which was issued three yellow cards and allowed the Ephs to score four goals while on the man advantage. The Jumbos' usual dominant play in the midfield was also lacking, as they struggled on the transition and turned the ball over 23 times.
"On our transitions from mid- to low-defense we were kind of a second behind," Roberts said. "In the second half, we were just too tired ... The amount of cards affected us a lot too."
"Our transitions were not as clean [as usual]," Johnson added. "[The problem was that] our transitions couldn't get the ball to the net to score."
Roberts led the Jumbos in their losing effort with five goals, giving her a team-high 16 on the season, while Johnson finished with three. Sophomore goalie Sara Bloom notched three saves on top of receiving a yellow card in the first half.
Despite the loss, the Jumbo offense continued its potent early-season production. Six players have 10 or more points, a testament to the squad's depth.
"A lot of it has to do with confidence," Roberts said. "We came out and won the first four games, and we play really hard against each other in practice. People aren't afraid to take shots; they aren't afraid to go one-on-one and take on a top-of-the-league defender."
Once more, although the roster boasts 10 freshmen, the sizable group of first-years appears to have acclimated successfully. The team's fourth-leading scorer, Lara Kozin, is one such first-year, with seven goals and 13 points on the season, including an assist against Williams.
With the loss, the Jumbos fall to 4-1 overall and 2-1 in the NESCAC, good for a five-way tie for second in the conference behind undefeated Middlebury. For now, the team gets its first rest of the year with a week until its next competition, giving the team ample time to recharge before taking on Wesleyan on Saturday.
